That nonjudgmental, easygoing charm is precisely why the people in Key's life put up with him, and why viewers will be drawn to him. Rake may be the story of yet another anti-hero, but it's difficult to remember one this likable.

The new first episode is good enough to suggest Tolan and creator Peter Duncan will be able to get at least a season out of the world punishing Keegan. There might not be enough here to go beyond that initial episode order, but just watching Kinnear play the sad asshole—wandering around L.A. without a car or getting beaten up due to gambling debts—keeps things rolling smoothly for now.

Kinnear is great in the role because he doesn’t look like a loser--quite the opposite--and that’s important.... Perhaps because this is the pilot, most of the episode is devoted to showing Keegan screwing up and only a few afterthought scenes focus on Torrant’s case. In order to succeed from week to week, the series needs more than just a lot of figurative pratfalls.

Rake has enough varied story elements to not fall into the procedural courtroom drama. Kinnear is a natural in the starring role, effortlessly making the shambles of his character's life seem not only plausible, but also sympathetic.

The degree to which viewers will enjoy the new Fox series Rake, based on an Australian series of the same name, will depend on how high their threshold is for watching a charismatic, talented person repeatedly sabotage himself while trying the patience of those around him. Going a long way toward making that trope palatable, and quite charming, is Greg Kinnear as lawyer Keegan Deane.

The first pilot was already emblematic of the struggle to do cable-style weirdness and moral ambiguity in a broadcast network context; the new pilot sands off several of the edges that survived the first time.... It is, essentially, "House, JD," and Kinnear has the impish charm to play this kind of character.

Kinnear's particularly comfortable, perhaps too comfortable.... Roy could've been a cartoon thug, but instead he's allowed to gratifyingly embody the demons that truly threaten to carry an addict away into a realm of chaos. He gives this fun but smug series a little bite.

If you can’t love the rake in Keegan, then you sure can’t love the lawyer in him either (since it’s barely developed in the pilot). That leaves Rake as an overly familiar character study and an under-developed law procedural.

While tonight’s first episode of Rake (the only one given critics, besides an earlier version of the pilot that was remade since last spring) is--well, rakishly--amusing, it’s not really enough to give a sense of what kind of show this will be, and whether it’s worth sticking with.

Mr. Kinnear certainly has the charm to play this rakish character, and the overstuffed pilot introduces a lot of characters who might help propel the series' stories in the future. But if "House" is the model, Rake is a somewhat stale successor.

Fox originally provided a different pilot for Rake, one that wasn't so lighthearted. (Really.) That episode will air later, after, the network hopes, we've come to love this bad boy despite his foibles.

Kinnear is a fine and immensely likable actor, and his wry smile and way with a line keep Keegan at least minimally sympathetic. They are not, however, enough to make him either interesting or believable.

Rake is a little bit like the bad Sundance movie version of a procedural, a sturdy genre project tricked out with twee and antic detailing, in the hopes you will find all the appended doohickeys sharp and adorable and not notice how predictably the story is chugging along.

The first episode of Rake is kind of an odd way to introduce us to the series. ThisNote: I have not seen the original Australian version.

The first episode of Rake is kind of an odd way to introduce us to the series. This isn't the true pilot episode, as FOX says Rake will become a more dramatic and less comedic in the future. But what's here is a promising start that gives us a decent introduction to the cast.

Greg Kinnear plays Keegan Deane, an attorney whose life is currently a terrible mess. With already a ton of stuff on his plate, his client, who was supposed to just plead guilty, gives him more trouble than he anticipated. Peter Stormare guest stars and does a great job as said client.

The first couple of minutes of Serial Killer move along at a fast pace and feels quite cluttered as a result. The show begins to be more cohesive down the stretch, and was overall a solid hour of television. The humour usually hits the mark too, and even though this is planed to be a drama, I can't see the comedy being completely ditched. There wasn't a ton of drama or tension to speak of here; it was a very light episode for the most part. However, I do see the potential for some good drama later on.…Full Review »

Not as good as the original from Australia but still a 7 compared to most of what broadcast TV has to offer. Unfortunately because it is onNot as good as the original from Australia but still a 7 compared to most of what broadcast TV has to offer. Unfortunately because it is on broadcast TV it has been sanitized a bit which makes this Keegan less edgy than the Cleaver Green portrayed by Richard Roxburgh from down under. The pilot shows promise and I found the introduction of characters well done.. I think if Kinnear can grow into this role and become more difficult to love it could be as successful as the original Rake.…Full Review »

The show has a potential to become a good and strong tv series. It's like watching M.D House becoming a lawyer while still being and sociopathThe show has a potential to become a good and strong tv series. It's like watching M.D House becoming a lawyer while still being and sociopath and a real scumbag.…Full Review »